BALTIMORE, Md. – The Hampton University volleyball made history on three fronts Saturday in its MEAC semifinal match against Coppin State, which the Lady Pirates won 3-1 (25-17, 22-25, 25-16, 25-19) at the Physical Education Complex.
 
The top-seeded Lady Pirates (20-10) recorded their first-ever 20-win season as a Div. I program.
 
Senior rightside Vendula Strakova (Brno, Czech Republic), the two-time MEAC Player of the Year, led the way with a career-high and school-record 35 kills, while adding 14 digs for her 19th double-double of the season.
 
She hit .508 for the match.
 
Senior outside hitter Krista Kraskura (Kuldiga, Latvia) added 12 kills and 17 digs for her 11th double-double of the season. Junior libero Allysa Medina (Menifee, Calif.) had a team-high 18 digs.
 
Senior setter Kitija Megne (Kuldiga, Latvia) had 29 assists, setting a new single-season record for most assists in a single season. She has 1,186 assists this season.
 
The Lady Pirates hit .286 (61 kills, 21 errors in 140 attacks), while holding Coppin State (14-14) to just .164 (45 kills, 22 errors in 140 attacks) hitting. Both teams had 9.0 total blocks, and the Eagles held a 3-2 edge in aces.
 
Hampton jumped out to a 7-1 lead early in the first set following a block from Kraskura and senior middle blocker Marija Kocevska (Skopje, Macedonia), and a kill from Strakova later in the set gave the Lady Pirates a 13-7.
 
Hampton later led 17-9 before Coppin State called a timeout and answered with an 8-2 run to cut the lead to 19-17. The Lady Pirates responded by scoring the last six points to take the set, culminating with back-to-back kills from Kraskura.
 
Coppin State held a 12-5 lead early in the second set, before the Lady Pirates scored six of the next nine points to cut the lead to 15-11 after a kill from Strakova. The Eagles later forced set point, taking a 24-19 lead, before Hampton scored the next three points, cutting the lead to 24-22 on a kill from Kraskura.
 
But the Eagles scored on the next rally to take the set and tie the match at 1-1.
 
A kill from Strakova early in the third set gave the Lady Pirates an 8-4 lead, before Coppin State cut that lead to 9-7. The Lady Pirates answered with a 10-3 run, taking a 19-10 lead after an attack error from the Eagles.
 
Coppin State later cut the lead to 22-16, before Hampton closed the set with three straight points – including kills from Kraskura and Strakova – to take the set and go up 2-1 in the match.
 
Hampton hit .308 (13 kills, five errors in 26 attacks) in the third set.
 
The Lady Pirates hit a match-best .333 (18 kills, four errors in 42 attacks) in the fourth set, and they led 9-4 after a block from Kocevska. Coppin State then cut the lead to 9-6, before Hampton went on a 9-5 spurt to take an 18-11 lead after a kill from Kraskura.
 
A kill from Strakova later gave the Lady Pirates a 23-17 lead, before Coppin State scored the next two points to cut the gap to 23-19. Strakova answered with a kill, before Kraskura and freshman middle blocker Tatyana Thomas (Suffolk, Va.) teamed on a block to take the set and the match.
 
The Lady Pirates advanced to Sunday's championship match against rival Howard, which will start at 12 p.m. The match will be shown live on ESPN3.com and can be seen on ESPNU via tape delay Sunday night at 9 p.m.
 
Hampton is looking for its second straight MEAC Tournament title.
 
For more information on Hampton University volleyball, please call the Office of Sports Information at (757) 727-5811, or visit the official Pirates website at www.hamptonpirates.com.